Peter Frampton had heavyweights like David Bowie and Roger Daltrey in his corner for decades. But it was a long time before he felt like he was truly respected as a musician.
It took a while for the tide to turn, but particularly in the past two decades, it feels like the veteran singer-songwriter is finally getting his due on many levels, including his talents as a guitar player.
“It’s been very gratifying getting to this point, I have to say,” he tells UCR now. “You know, it might not have ever happened, if I’d given up. But that’s just not my character.”
Following his induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024, Frampton is visibly energized. It capped a year which found him playing concerts to rave reviews, while in his time away from the road, he has continued to work on new music. He spoke with UCR to look back on the year’s incredible sequence of events and his experience at the Rock Hall ceremonies.
I love that Roger Daltrey ended up being the one who gave the speech at the inductions in your honor. What did it mean to you to have Roger give that speech?
My very first big show was opening for the Who, so it made perfect sense. He’s known me since the very beginning. He was around when all of that craziness went on because of Keith [Moon] and John [Entwistle]. Of course, it was like going to rock and roll college for me. So yeah, it was wonderful. He’s the nicest man and he’s never changed. He’s always been the same. I love Roger and I was so thrilled he could do it.
Peter Frampton Reacts to His Rock Hall Induction
To hear you describe it as rock and roll college makes me think of your early touring experiences overall. There’s no handbook for the job you do. What’s the moment where you felt like you were starting to find yourself and get a handle on it all?
The Herd was a heady experience, because when we hit, we got three Top 10 hits. We were being screamed at all over, as this teenybopper band and we really weren’t that to start with. We just had some successful songs written for us. But I think when I really got a handle on it was Humble Pie, when I was definitely required to be, you know, my main job was the guitar player. It was a period where I found my own style. Because I was not a straight blues or rock player. I’d always enjoyed listening to jazz as well, the more melodic stuff. Wes Montgomery and then players I could never be like him and Django Reinhardt. You know, there was a completely different way of playing. I kind of combined the approach of jazz with the excitment of rock and blues. That was the most exciting period for me, in Humble Pie.
I hadn’t thought about you and Roger being doppelgangers of a sort. His story about being chased through the airport with fans thinking it was you, had you heard that before?
Yeah, I’d heard another story. He was in a restaurant or bar and two girls came up and said, “Sign this for us.” It was just a piece of paper and it said Roger Daltrey on it. They said, “No, no, no, you’re Peter Frampton.” And he said, “I went straight to the barber and cut my hair off.” Because we were very similar, if you think about that picture of him in Tommy with the big hair. So I’d heard that story, but I hadn’t heard the other stories about him being chased. That was great.
The screaming teens, we’ve seen the footage of Beatlemania. How prepared were you when that kind of insanity came your way? Because between that and what followed later in the ’70s with Frampton Comes Alive, it was two different storms to weather and get used to.
It was, because when we were the Herd, we were screamed at and the adulation was for us, because we were young and doing pop songs. Humble Pie, we didn’t want to be screamed at. In fact, I think we did one Top of the Pops TV show and the next gig, we got screamed at, so we said, “Let’s go to America, where no one knows us.” After I left Humble Pie and went solo, that fifth record just catapulted me. As Cameron Crowe says, I was strapped to the nose cone of a rocket and off I went. It was a combination of a musician’s adulation….but the majority, it went back to being like a teenybopper thing again. I got screamed at again, which is not what I wanted — because of the way I looked. The good thing is that now, I don’t look like that, so I never get screamed at. [Laughs]
But I think that was the disappointment for me, was that it was more of an adulation, as opposed to an appreciation of the musicianship. I’ll take it all, but it took me a while. It kind of was my undoing and the fall from grace, as I mentioned in my speech. But I think it was all necessary, as I said. I think a lesson was learned, yet again. We repeat ourselves, unfortunately. But building myself back up from the bottom of the ladder again was a slow but very, very sure footing. I made sure I didn’t make any mistakes up the ladder this time. You never know, but luckily, I’d been able to climb back, thanks to David Bowie and many, many other people. A lot of people came to my help. You know, I managed to get to the point where I’ve got the respect as a musician, which I’ve always craved, because that’s my passion.
It’s been a moment with your career that’s been really fun to watch.
Well, thank you. It’s been very gratifying getting to this point, I have to say. You know, it might not have ever happened, if I’d given up. But that’s just not my character. So it was humiliating to go from being the biggest star in the world for a couple of years to certain people — and I won’t say who — but certain artists, if I went to a club or something and paparazzi was taking a picture of me and that artist, people were jumping out of the photograph, not to be in the photograph with me. That’s where I got to and that was the humiliating part.
It was a true joy watching you rip it up with Keith Urban during your performance at the Rock Hall festivities. How did you first come to know Keith?
I met him when I first moved to Nashville in the ’90s. I’d moved away for a few years after that, but we were managed by the same company at that point. We got put together, they said, “Would you like to work with Keith?” I said, “yeah, I’d love to.” I don’t think we ever finished a song, but we had a great time. We became friends and we’ve been friends ever since. I’ve watched him go from one level to another and he’s just a lovely guy. And he’s an incredibly talented player as well as singer, writer, everything. It was a joy that he was able to [play with me at the inductions] because I know we both have a mutual respect and I think it really showed in the performance. It wasn’t easy to make “Do You Feel Like We Do” go from the 18 minutes it is now [when we play it live] down to seven and a half minutes. It was the most difficult thing of the evening.
You mentioned David Bowie and you two obviously grew up together, so there was some cool history. From your perspective, how did your time playing with David feed back into your own work after you did that?
Well, it just inspired me. I had been a bit lackluster up to that point. It was a hard slog in the ’80s for me. David gave me another starting gate and the starting gate was halfway up the ladder again. That’s what I think he knew he was doing, but I had no idea. I just thought it was great I was playing with David, finally, after all of these years, on stage — not offstage. For him to give me that gift of involving me in two projects, the record and the tour, he knew exactly what he was doing. I was wrongly identified for a while there and he always saw a very clear picture of me being the passionate guitar player. He could have had anybody he wanted, as proven by all of the guitarists he’d had up until that point. I mean, Stevie Ray Vaughan was the last one before me. It was very heady stuff for me that he chose me and I still thank him every day.
You have these wonderful moments in your career, like Glyn Johns asking you to play on a Small Faces track and you meet Steve Marriott. Crossover moments like that which lead to future moments in one’s career, it’s really something.
I think in England too, before I moved over here, it was such a small but large scene. We were all in London at the same clubs. We were all in the same studios. It was a small circle and if you got into the circle, the collaborations and the new bands that were formed because of that…..the British scene, I think, happened, because it was like we were all in Seattle at the time [and the grunge movement that happened there]. But we were all in London. You couldn’t help but bump into all of these incredible players, writers and whatever. yeah, we were fermenting back then. [Laughs]
This is random, but I wondered if you have a good story from when you shared the stage with ZZ Top back in the day.
We opened for ZZ Top and bison came on the stage. [Laughs]
The Worldwide Texas Tour!
Yeah, I just remember that it was like, what, are we playing in a circus? I didn’t know what was happening. But I’ve always been a huge ZZ Top fan, so we loved playing with them. What a great outfit.
I know you’ve been working on new music.
I’ve just done a vocal track in my music room on yet another new one. Yeah, it’s coming fast and furious now. If I’m not inspired by what’s happened in 2024, I’ll never be inspired. It’s given me a wonderful slap on the back and push. Every night, when everyone has gone to bed, I pick up the acoustic or electric and jam and record everything. In the morning, I listen to what I did and usually there’s a riff or a chord sequence or a title or something. It’s 24/7 here right now with creating.
Paul Rodgers has announced he’s writing his memoir. In an unusual—and welcome—twist, he’s asking his fans for help. The great vocalist, and former frontman of such classic rock bands as Free and Bad Company, among others, revealed the news on December 17, 2024, on his Facebook page. He reached a significant milestone that day: his 75th birthday.
“I’ve started working on my memoir which will be a heartfelt gift from me to you,” he wrote. “I’ll open up about my early beginnings starting with Free, Bad Company, The Firm, solo, Queen + Paul Rodgers, plus before and beyond. I will also touch on my recovery from some serious life changing health challenges.
“To make it even more powerful, I’m reaching out to the fans, my friends, family, and fellow musicians to help contribute to the story from their perspective and that’s where you come in. You may remember I’ve always loved and encouraged audience participation!
“I want to have your input, as you’ve all been a big part of this minstrel gypsy’s journey. Please share your pictures and memories that relate to me to my website and we’ll go through it and who knows, you just might find yourself in the pages of the book.
“Let’s make this a collaborative project! With love, Paul.”
Fans are asked to visit here to upload a file or share a story through December 31, 2024. (The terms and conditions are here.)
AC/DC Classic Rock
The house where Angus and Malcolm Young of AC/DC began their journey in rock music history has been demolished, stirring emotions among fans and locals. This modest white single-family home on Burleigh Street in Burwood, a suburb of Sydney, Australia, was where the iconic band AC/DC was formed. Despite its significance, the house blended into its surroundings, unnoticed by many who passed by daily. Now, it has been razed, leaving fans mourning its loss.
In 2023, Burwood Square Pty Ltd purchased No. 4 Burleigh Street and adjacent properties for $5.8 million, intending to construct a larger residential development. However, the developers claimed they were unaware of the property’s cultural significance. According to Leon Kmita, the general manager of Burwood Square, the company’s due diligence, which included consulting heritage registers and experts, failed to uncover the house’s historical connection to AC/DC. The home, listed on Australia’s National Trust List of Historic Homes in 2013, was not registered locally as a historic site, a misstep that allowed the demolition to proceed.
Following the backlash, Kmita issued an apology on behalf of Burwood Square Pty Ltd. “On behalf of the team at Burwood Square, I want to convey our heartfelt regret that we have only just learned of the cultural significance of 4 Burleigh Street, the former home of AC/DC, one of history’s most iconic bands,” he wrote. Kmita explained that the company was unaware of the property’s historical importance because the previous owner did not share this information during the sale.
To mitigate the loss, Kmita announced plans to salvage materials from the demolished home to create a tribute space, such as a café, bar, or live music venue, where fans can honor AC/DC’s legacy. He also expressed the company’s commitment to collaborating with the Young family, fan groups, and cultural experts to ensure the tribute is meaningful and respectful. Addressing AC/DC fans directly, Kmita acknowledged their disappointment and pledged to make amends.
Burwood Council also expressed regret over the demolition, emphasizing the Young family’s significant contribution to Australian music history. In their statement, the council clarified that they were not involved in the decision to demolish the house, explaining that the state government’s planning controls allowed the property owner to bypass the council’s input. The council highlighted their ongoing efforts to honor the Young brothers, including commissioning a mural near the site of the former home and coordinating a choir medley to celebrate their contributions.
The demolition of the Burleigh Street house marks the end of an era for AC/DC fans, but efforts to preserve and celebrate the band’s legacy continue. While the physical structure is gone, the enduring impact of the music born there remains a testament to its significance.
You can’t make this stuff up. A teenaged fan of Led Zeppelin goes to see his favorite band perform at a local arena. When the concert ends, he somehow is given a guitar case to keep. And not just any guitar case, but the one that, while now damaged, had previously housed the Les Paul guitar of its owner, Jimmy Page. Nearly half a century later, that fan, Jeff Curtis, and himself a musician who was inspired to learn guitar because of Page, is able to reunite the historic case with the classic rock legend.
Best Classic Bands spoke with Curtis about the wild tale and how the “burden” of keeping it secret all these years and returning it to Page was a relief.
Curtis—65 years-old when we spoke with him in 2019—grew up on Long Island. “In 1969, when I was 14, a friend brought over Led Zeppelin II,” he says. “I thought, ‘That’s it; I want to learn how to play guitar,’ and I taught myself how to play.” He got to see his favorite band play at Madison Square Garden in 1970.
“In June 1972, I went to see Led Zeppelin perform at the Nassau Coliseum. There was one particular roadie, Mick Hinton–John Bonham’s drum tech–whom I had said hello to the previous year, when the group played the Garden in ’71. After the Coliseum concert ended, I went up to the row of seats behind the stage and yelled down to him. He seemed to recognize me from the ’71 concert and yelled hello back.
“On a whim, I asked if I might come down and help them pack up the equipment. To my complete surprise, he said yes. I asked, ‘How do I get down there?’ He then tossed a guitar case to me! I walked down, past two security checkpoints with the case in hand, up onto the stage, and handed it back to him. After the few minutes it took to pack up the drums, Mick said to me, ‘You can have that.’
“I was speechless.” Curtis, incredulous, asked the roadie, “Where will the guitar go?” Mick showed him Page’s number one Les Paul guitar in its brand new anvil road case. “The case I was given was being discarded that night since its back was crushed and no longer afforded protection to the guitar. Talk about being in the right place at the right time!”
As Curtis notes, “So began my decades-long possession of a genuine rock ‘n’ roll artifact. But I also realized from that point onward that it was something I couldn’t talk about. While there have been a small handful of friends over the years who were aware that I had it, I had kept this a deep secret over the past 47 years in fear that someone might either burglarize my house or worse, threaten me in order to steal it. For this reason, I had decided a couple of years ago that I no longer wanted the guitar case.”
He told Best Classic Bands, “The band’s popularity has grown and grown. The case had become a liability, in a sense. All it meant was that I had a material object. I didn’t want the responsibility anymore.
“Despite its certain significant monetary value to a collector, I had also decided that I wouldn’t ever sell it since making money off someone else’s fame is simply against my principles. I decided that I would find a way to personally return it to Page. But how to accomplish this? How would I get in touch with the right people to set up a meeting?”
Jimmy Page, Steve Miller and Don Felder at the Met Museum’s Play it Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll, April 1, 2019 (Photo © Greg Brodsky; used with permission)
In July 2019, Curtis went to see the terrific “Play It Loud: Instruments of Rock & Roll” exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City. Page’s number one Les Paul guitar was one of the prominent instruments on display. Curtis called the museum and spoke with the curator’s assistant. “I explained that I was trying to find a way to get it back to Jimmy.” He sent the museum an e-mail with photos of the case.
Just two weeks later, he got a call from a man named Perry, who said he worked with Page, and had been sent Curtis’ documentation. They arranged a meeting to allow Perry to examine the case and take several detailed photos. “There are photos of the case in Jimmy’s coffee table book,” Curtis says, and Perry could see it was legit.
About a month later, Curtis received word that Page would be delighted to meet him and have the case returned. On a September day in New York City, Curtis, along with his two daughters and a close friend, met Page.
The expression on Page’s face was priceless. “He was like a kid in a candy store,” said Curtis. Page exclaimed, “What memories this brings back!” “He said ‘Thank you!’ and I said ‘Thank you!’ We talked about Led Zeppelin. I asked him where he got the inspiration for the tuning of ‘The Rain Song’ and he said he basically made it up. I gave him copies of both my CDs, which he said he would listen to.
“He brought me a special limited box set edition of Led Zeppelin II and signed its book as well as another book I had brought with me. I can honestly say that after the first few minutes, my nervousness completely disappeared and it felt like I was talking with an old friend. Nevertheless, the experience of having had the opportunity to sit down with the very person whose music not only greatly influences my own but also inspired to me to initially pick up and learn to play the guitar almost 50 years ago is something that I will never forget!”
The guitar case, he said, “is exactly where I want it to be.”
Curtis had actually met Page, albeit briefly, twice before. At that same 1972 concert, while Curtis held the case that the roadie, Mick, had given him, Page came back out as the crew was wrapping things up. “I said his name and he turned around and shook my hand. When he spotted the case, he said, laughing, ‘I see they laid that one on you.’” The then-28-year-old musician apparently didn’t foresee the case’s significance.
Fifteen years later, Curtis saw Page perform a NYC club gig, and told the legend, “You’re the reason I started playing guitar.”
Curtis transitioned from electric to acoustic many years ago. He released two of his own CDs, 1998’s Dreams and 2003’s The Next Place. He had been writing new material and release a third, Find a Way, in 2021.
When Best Classic Bands spoke with him about his Page story, he was amazed at how quickly his September 16, 2019, Facebook post had spread. Within 24 hours, it had over 2,100 shares, 1,500 comments and 8,500 reactions.
“It blows me away,” he said. Sadly, Curtis died on Jan. 18, 2022.
